A Stupid Smart Start
by ScorplinginTraining
Summary: There's got to be a morning after the night before.


A STUPID SMART START

 **AN: I don't know if the inspiration is coming from that 'brave' anonymous reviewer telling me how bad I suck over and over again, or if it's all you wonderful people reassuring me I don't suck. But what ever the source, I'm in a bit of a writing frenzy this week. So, here's another one. It's set the Saturday following the finale. Happy reading!**

 **oxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo**

She cautiously opened her eyes just a crack and, immediately, twin darts of light penetrated straight through, mercilessly stabbing all the way to the back of her skull. Groaning, she slammed them shut again.

"Paige? Are you awake?" A familiar voice inquired in a whisper from somewhere over her left shoulder. It reverberated through her head like a sonic boom.

Her mouth felt sticky and tasted terrible as she croaked. "Walter? Why are you here?"

After a loaded pause, he answered, "Um… I live here."

Paige shot to a sitting position and instantly slapped her palms to each side of her head because the room was whirling. A wave of nausea soon followed.

"Are you going to be sick again?"

Again? What the hell was going on? Why was she at Walter's place?

"An Uber dropped you off here last night. Or more accurately very early this morning," Walter explained, making Paige wonder if she'd spoken her thoughts aloud.

Then it all came rushing back. Well, some of it came rushing back. The rest was kind of a blur. And there were still quite a few completely blank areas.

The next thing she knew, Walter was perched on the edge of the bed beside her and held out a glass containing ice and a fizzy, amber-colored liquid. "Here. Are you feeling better? You should try to drink this. You're dehydrated and severely depleted of 'B' vitamins."

Paige eyed him suspiciously, half wondering if he was trying to poison her. "What is it?"

"It's an electrolyte solution mixed with ginger ale. Don't worry. No beet juice this time." He smirked at her wryly.

She accepted the glass and took a cautious sip. It felt all kinds of amazing going down her parched, scratchy throat, but her hollow stomach did a little flip when it hit the bottom. She made a face.

"You should take it slowly. You were pretty, uh, sick."

Paige drank a bit more. "So, do you want to tell me what happened last night?"

"What do you remember?"

"Not much beyond going out for drinks with a couple of my old sorority sisters who were in town for the weekend. Wow. I got wrecked didn't I?" She rubbed the cool, sweating glass across her aching forehead. "I haven't done that since before I got pregnant with Ralph. Oh, hell. Ralph! Where's Ralph?"

"Relax. He's at the Forestry Braves Survival Training weekend, remember? I suspect you wouldn't've met your friends for, uh, drinks otherwise."

"Excuse me? How do you know my son's activity schedule?"

The genius sighed. "Ralph still talks to me every night before he goes to bed. He tells me all about his plans. He says he wants to come and see me, but he doesn't know if you would be receptive to the idea yet. He says you're still very… a-angry with me."

Paige's lips thinned considerably. "He's right. Which raises the question again, how did I end up staying over here last night?"

"I already told you. An Uber brought you…"

"Yes. I got that," she snapped, "I asked why I _stayed_ here."

He frowned and took the now empty cup from her hand, giving her a testy look. "It was the address you gave the driver and he didn't want to let you back in his car. He thought you might vomit. He was right. Boy, was he right."

Walter stalked over and yanked open the refrigerator door. He poured her a refill of his electrolyte concoction. The sound of the ice striking the sides of the glass set her teeth on edge.

"Sorry. I'm still not feeling great," she apologized weakly as she winced, touching her temples with her fingertips.

"It's no wonder," he replied as he set the glass down and rummaged through one of the cupboards. "I've never seen anyone expel stomach contents with as much force or as many times as you did."

"Really? Sorry about that." She cringed inwardly.

For the first time, Paige noticed the towel and small waste basket on the floor beside the bed and the rumpled blanket and pillow beside hers. Then she took note of her attire. Or lack of it. She was barely clad in one of Walter's t-shirts and a skimpy pair of panties. Time out. Did they…?

Surely she would've remembered _that_.

"Walter, did anything… happen last night?" She asked. Her was face burning but she was unable to curb her curiosity.

He peered around the cabinet door holding a box of saltines. "Lots of things happened last night."

Paige made an impatient gesture, waving her hand back and forth between them. "No. I mean did, you know, _anything_ happen?"

Pouring a few crackers out of a cellophane sleeve onto a plate, he glanced up and asked, "Just to clarify, are you asking if we were… intimate last night?"

"Yes, okay?"

Walter allowed her to stew while he approached her, carrying the plate and cup, his eyes never leaving hers.

After he handed them off to her, he answered, "No. I always enjoyed being intimate with you and you do have quite a… lovely body, but I, uh, would prefer you to be conscious at least. And vomiting with a bit less frequency. I did… h-have to, um, un-undress you since your clothes were… rendered unwearable."

"Lovely? Yeah, sure. I must look like a really 'lovely' corpse right about now." She snorted into her drink feeling unaccountably bashful. It wasn't as if he hadn't seen everything she had. On a regular basis. For close to a year.

Walter wore a completely serious expression when he stated, "No matter what, you are still the most beautiful woman I've ever seen."

Paige uttered a little gasp as her pulse started thrumming rapidly. Why would he say such a thing?

She had sudden a flash of memory. Of her sobbing and apologizing while Walter held her hair back. Of him gently wiping her mouth with a damp washcloth. Of her leaning heavily on him while they both stumbled back to bed. Of her clinging to him when the bed wouldn't stop spinning. Paige was extremely embarrassed. But, in a strange way, also deeply touched.

"Why would you do it? Why would you take care of me? After everything that's happened."

Walter looked away and shrugged. "I just did what anyone would do…"

"No, I think you went above and beyond letting me sleep it off on your sofa, Walter. Tell me," Paige pushed, "Why would you do that for me?"

He answered quietly, "No matter what's happened. I still…" he swallowed, then continued as if the words were being pulled from him involuntarily, "My feelings haven't changed. And I will always do everything in my power… I will take care of you. As much as you'll let me."

Well.

Paige balanced the plate on her lap, picked up a cracker and nibbled on the corner hoping her stomach would have more luck digesting it than her brain was having processing Walter's words. Her heart had no trouble understanding and was already betraying her since it was trying to beat its way out of her chest.

"I should probably get dressed and go home soon," she managed to mutter after a few seconds of contemplation.

Walter shoved his hands in his front pockets and looked down. "There's no-no rush. If-if you don't have anywhere you need to be right away, that is. I think I still have one or two of those old scary movies you favor downloaded on my laptop. Um, we could watch one of them. And-and, uh, you could stay until you're feeling better. You know, just to make sure the crackers stay down." He scuffed at a spot on the floor with his toe.

"Do you think that's wise?" She asked softly.

His dark eyes met her tawny ones. "Probably not," he sighed.

"Do you feel like doing the smart thing, Walter?" Paige murmured.

After a moment, he shook his head. "No. Not this time."

She felt much better already. "Then what are we waiting for? Fire up that computer and let's be stupid together."


End file.
